Expressing Concerns about the Proposed East Midtown Rezoning

On May 13, I testified before the Multi-Board Task Force on East Midtown Rezoning (the Task Force) at its hearing on the New York City Planning Commission’s proposed rezoning of East Midtown. As I rule, I do not weigh in on rezoning proposals until the affected community boards have had their say but in this case I made an exception because the Task Force comprised of those boards asked me to do so. In my comments, I highlighted my belief that any plan to rezone East Midtown must include protections for the many historically and architecturally important buildings in the area as well as a concrete plan to finance the much-needed improvements to the area’s transportation infrastructure in a timely manner. I also stressed that such a consequential proposal, which will transform a large swath of the heart of Manhattan and draw new workers and visitors into an already overburdened transit hub, requires rigorous analysis, deliberation and planning through a robust and comprehensive community-driven review. Please see my testimony below.